Chennai floods: IT sector still gasping

It has been nearly three days since rain stopped in and around Chennai but the information technology (IT) sector has not yet resumed operations, as employees are absent and power and internet connections not fully restored.

The heaviest northeast monsoon in 100 years claimed hundreds of lives in Chennai this month. Many infotech companies were forced to stop operations from December 1, as Chennai and its suburbs, including IT corridor, were submerged. The infotech sector employs about 400,000 people here.

The flooding led to many IT professionals leaving Chennai temporarily. The sector estimates that about 80,000 people have not reported to work and many have moved out of the city fearing worse to come.

A WhatsApp message says, "If you are living in and around Kelambakkam, evacuate immediately as lakes and dams are going to break anytime." Another message describes how many people were stuck in the basement of DLF's infotech park.

The local administration and DLF have denied the rumour. State government officials have said lakes and dams are safe.

A dozen infotech parks, including those of DLF and Olympia, on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai's IT hub, are yet to reopen. The spokesperson of the DLF park at Manapakkam said work would resume from Tuesday and by December 21, the entire park would become operational. The 42-acre park has three basement levels still filled with water.

About 50 companies, including L&T Technology, Delphi, IBM, Cognizant, CSC, Symantec, MPhasiS, BNY Mellon, CGI, TCS e-Serve, Zoho and Barclays, have employed 50,000 people in this park alone. At least 20 other infotech parks, housing smaller IT companies, are yet to reopen.

Besides water the other issues are power and broadband connectivity, which are yet to be restored in many places around Old Mahabalipuram Road. The area houses 65 infotech parks.